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Broomfield Park
' Broomfield Park' is a park situated in Palmers Green in the London Borough of Enfield. Its main feature is Broomfield House, a large building that was gutted by fire in 1984 and has since remained derelict. Address: Broomfield Park, Aldermans Hill, Palmers Green, London N13 4RB (Map) History Popular belief states that the park was named after John Broomfield who was a London Currier (a seller of leather goods). In 1556 he sold the land to a man named Geoffrey Walkeden, but by 1599 the estate was owned by the London Alderman Sir John Spencer. In the 17th century the land and house were purchased by Joseph Jackson, whose family owned it until family member Mary Jackson married William Tash in 1773. The estate was left in Mary Tash's will to her friend Louisa Powys, whose family inherited it when William Tash died. Since then, the park has been used as a grazing site for livestock, a sports track and a rifle range. None of these remain today. In 1903 the park was purchased by Southgate Urban District Council for £25,000 and was opened to the public on 25th April 1903. Broomfield House was Grade II listed in 1950, but after suffering a devastating fire in 1984 it has remained an empty shell covered in scaffolding. Access and facilities The main access to the park is located on Aldermans Hill although gates are also present on Powys Lane and Broomfield Lane. The park has fully paved paths but these can be in a state of disrepair and uneven. Public transport and car parking Palmers Green railway station, served by Thameslink Great Northern, is a short walk away from the main gate on Aldermans Hill. Bus routes 121 and W6 stop outside the park on Aldermans Hill while bus route 329 stops nearby on Green Lanes. Car parking is available on Aldermans Hill and nearby residential roads. There is also a pay-and-display car park at Palmers Green railway station. Facilities There are recently refurbished toilets on the east side of the park near the memorial garden and Broomfield House. There is a community cafe near the boating lake that is open on Wednesdays and weekends from 10am to 3pm and a fast food stand near the playground. Shops and other places to eat are available on Aldermans Hill and nearby on Green Lanes. Cafes and a Morrisons are available on Aldermans Hill, while Green Lanes has restaurants and fast food outlets including McDonalds, KFC, and Subway. There is an extensive children's playground and football pitch in the east part of the park. From the carriage drive and Aldermans Hill there is a great view of the London skyline that includes Canary Wharf, the Shard, the skyscrapers of the City of London, Alexandra Palace, and parts of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Habitat The park is roughly divided into three areas: football pitches and play area; gardens and lakes; and the former carriage drive. There is also a model boating lake near the main gate on Aldermans Hill that attracts gulls in winter, a memorial garden at the back of the park dedicated to honouring the dead of World Wars I and II, and a community orchard near the main Aldermans Hill gate. The main bodies of water in the park are mostly polluted and thereby discourage invertebrates and fish. There is a pond in the memorial garden that is usually fine and this is the best place to observe the above, as well as a small wetlands area on the former carriage drive. The former carriage drive is a large, open expanse of grass with a few trees and a wetlands area as mentioned above. In the winter this area is favoured by thrushes and gulls. Kestrels and Sparrowhawks sometimes hunt here. Species sighted These sightings are the personal records of one birder, Katy McGilvray, and do not reflect the total species for the site. Additional sightings from other birders are welcomed. Rare birds for the park are noted in bold. Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Coot, Common Buzzard, Dunnock, Eurasian Teal, Egyptian Goose, Feral Pigeon, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Hobby ''(first personal record on 23 July 2015), House Martin, House Sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, '''Kingfisher', Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Robin, Song Thrush, Shoveler, Starling, Swallow (first personal record on 25 April 2018), Swift, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren Breeding species Chaffinch, Coot, Little Grebe, Mallard, Tufted Duck Invertebrates Common Blue Damselfly Mammals Common Pipistrelle